Whenever I sit down to write a book, I just write. Yes, I’m a pantser (a write by the seat-of-my-pants writer), but I have been known to jot down quick one-liners to plot out turning points in my book. I mainly did this to keep my eye on word count (I was gettin’ a wee bit high on the wordcount…LOL!).
Sam posted about writing her current WIP and that she’s written the beginning and the end. I have to say, I’ve NEVER done that..ever. I like to surprise myself when I write book. Yes, I have an idea how a book will end but I don’t know all the facets of it and the twists and turns that’ll get me there…or even the words that will be spoken…I just know basically “where” I want my hero and heroine to be at the end. The rest I leave up to my muse to create as she sees fit. Just like I’ve never written the end of a book before I reach “the end” I’ve also never written future scenes in a book until I get to them. Do I think about future scenes? Heck yeah. I might even jot down a one-line sentence about it, but I don’t write it until I get to that point in my book.
For authors reading this post…how do you write your books? Do you write them piece-meal and then string it all together? Do you write scenes out of order? Or do you write your book from beginning to end, straight through?
Inquiring minds want to know.
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I write much like you do and never scenes out of order…intentionally that is. There are about 3 books that I’ve had to go back and add in chapters before the original first chapter. But not intentionally, and NEVER the end until I reach the end!
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Hey Chey, I’ve had to cut entire beginnings of books but never had to go back and add whole chapters…oh wait, I am doing that with Twist of Fate, but that’s because I decided to add a subplot and the story needed that info weaved throughout the whole manuscript.
by Patrice
on March 16th, 2006 at 8:51 am
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I have to know how a book starts and how it will end in order to write it. I actually write the last line down. Very strange I know. I follow the trail from there. The only time I write scenes out of order is when I’m stuck. For some reason, it gets things flowing.
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I usually know how the book ends - HEA, LOL.
But this is a Murder Mystery…SO I needed to have the ending all set up so that the middle made sense…(As if this makes any sense, lol)
And who says writers make sense???
by Sam
on March 18th, 2006 at 12:43 am
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I try hard to write a chapter at a time and not jump around…though I have been known to skip a scene if I’m not feeling it.
by Julia
on March 18th, 2006 at 2:09 am
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Hey Jordan…hmmm, is writing your last line down kind of a “ritual” for you? For me, I “HAVE” to know the hero and the heroine’s names AND the title before I start the book.
by Patrice
on March 18th, 2006 at 8:57 pm
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Hey Sam. Oy! Let me tell you, I’ve found writing a suspense/mystery novel to be the hardest type of writing I’ve ever done. Weaving in the Red Herrings, building the suspense, etc…it’s darned hard work! Good luck on your MS. 
by Patrice
on March 18th, 2006 at 8:59 pm
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Hey Julia,
That’s interesting that you can skip a scene. I wish I could do that. If I’m not feeling it…I work on something else (ie, another book all together) until I can get my mind wrapped around the scene in the one book that’s stumping me. In my mind, each scene builds on the one before it so I kinda “need” to know what happened in the prior scene to move forward.
by Patrice
on March 18th, 2006 at 9:01 pm
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It’s not a ritual as much as a necessity. I can’t write the book without it. I used to be able to in the past, but not anymore. I need to know the destination before I begin the journey.
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Makes sense to me, Jordan!
by Patrice
on March 21st, 2006 at 9:17 pm
